Beit Iba, Jit Junction

Beit Iba, Jit Junction, Tuesday, 16/1/07 pm Observers: Patchia A., Rachel (guest), Hagar L. (reporting) Retrictions of Movement: No restriction of group movement. However, at Anabta and at Ar Ras, the checking of the passengers was thorough and this caused a very long wait on line. The dirt mound at the exit of Eezbed Tabeb to route 55 was removed. This allowed the movement of small cars but it doesn’t look as if trucks can pass through. All along route 57 between Anabta Junction and the junction to Deir Sharif, more mounds of soil were laid. Details According to the Hour: 15:30 Route 60 at the CP near the Shaveh Shomron base. The road is closed and “locked.” The rain has eaten away the road from both sides. The CP that looked as if it was ready to be put into action a month ago, now looks more and more abandoned. 15:40 Beit Iba Checkpoint There are 9 vehicles on line to Nablus—most of them trucks. There are 9 vehicles, also mostly trucks, leaving Nablus. Normal checking. Very few pedestrians. Pedestrians entering Nablus are not checked. The line of pedestrians leaving Nablus is moving along and there doesn’t seem to be more then 15 people on line. Commander of the CP A.(Ali) answers our questions on the change in the movement of trucks to the road that leaves Nablus and passes through Beit Vazan to Jit Junction. He tells us that for two weeks the CP there had soldiers for 12 hours a day – from 6 in the morning until 18:00 at night. During that whole time, only one truck went by. About 110 trucks from Nablus got the permit to pass through that CP with almost no checking procedure, aside from the driver’s identification, but the drivers decided to continue to travel by way of Beit Iba since the other way increases the length of the trip. That CP is now closed although, according to what A. said, there is still a place for soldiers and if a truck with a permit arrives, they will open the CP. 16:20 Jit Junction The CP that checks vehicles from the east on route 60 is manned. There are three vehicles. When we returned at 17:40, the CP was not manned.